As scaling for conventional CMOS integrated circuits approaches quantum mechanical limits, alternative nanostructures and materials have been investigated in the semiconductor industry. Of such nanostructures and materials, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) offer excellent intrinsic properties that are suitable for high performance nanoscale devices.
CNTs are allotropes of carbon that exhibit a cylindrical nanostructure and are members of the fullerene structural family. Their name is derived from their long, hollow structure having walls formed by one-atom-thick sheets of carbon, known as graphene.
CNTs can be used to construct electronic devices such as transistors as evidenced by, for example, commonly assigned US 2011/0127492 A1, “Field Effect Transistor Having Nanostructure Channel”, Josephine B. Chang, Michael A. Guillorn and Eric A. Joseph, and commonly assigned US 2011/0127493 A1. “Self Aligned Carbide Source/Drain FET”, Cyril Cabral, Jr., Josephine B. Chang, Alfred Grill, Michael A. Guillorn, Christian Lavoie and Eugene J. O'Sullivan.